Report Card on President Trump’s First 12 Days

Hate him or love him, you must admit that President Trump has been working overtime to do the things he believes will make this country great again. In his first 11 days, he has signed more executive actions that any other president in modern history. In addition, he rounded out his cabinet, held meetings with business and union leaders, spent hours in person or on the phone with world leaders and gave us a Supreme Court nominee.

President’s can’t make law. Therefore, Trump will have to depend on Congress to see that his major policy proposals become reality. However, presidents have wide discretion how our laws are implemented and many of his moves have already changed the status quo.

Some initial actions are perfunctory and done by every president. Therefore, for this report card I am focusing only on those that have a direct bearing on policy.

Cabinet Picks — Tells us a lot about how serious a president is about keeping his campaign promises. Trump’s picks, unlike Obama’s policy wonks, have real world experience. They have achieved tremendous success and are willing to give the agencies they run the benefit of that experience. Others such as Jeff Sessions and Betsy DeVos have spent years working to advance the policies on which Trump campaigned.

Grade A+

Executive Order 13765 — Minimizes the economic effects of Obamacare by directing federal agencies to give states, insurance companies and consumers the maximum amount of flexibility in complying with the law. Trump is laying down a marker that he intends to see Obamacare repealed and replaced.

Grade A

Presidential Memorandum: Withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership — Trump is making good on his promise to negotiate trade deals to make sure they are both fair and profitable.

Grade A

Presidential Memorandum: Mexico City Policy — Trump not only reimplemented the policy put in place by President Reagan that prevents our tax money from going to overseas family planning agencies that perform abortions, he expanded it.

Grade A+

Presidential Memorandums on the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines — Ordered agencies involved to expedite these projects. Also ordered the Department of Commerce to review ways to mandate the use of American-made steel in all pipeline projects in the U.S.

Grade A+

Executive Order 13766 — Expedited Environmental Reviews for Infrastructure Projects. Remember all those “shovel-ready” jobs that Obama promised? By the time they saw the light of day they were loaded down with millions of dollars of bureaucratic waste.

Grade A

Presidential Memorandum: Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing — The first step to bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.

Executive Order 13768:Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior — Cuts off federal funds to Sanctuary Cities and gives immigrations officers the authority to deport any noncitizen judged to be a threat to pubic safety.

Grade A+

Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States — Immediate travel ban for the seven countries judged to be most dangerous for 90 days until we can reform the vetting process. Despite what you may have heard, the threat from refugees is real. Since September 11, 2001, at least 40 people admitted to the U.S. as refugees have been implicated in terrorism. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/10/jeff-sessions-highlights-20-vetted-terrorist-refugees-obama-ramps-admissions-terror-hot-spots/ Trump was criticized for not giving our security agencies time to thoroughly brief all those involved with implementing this order. However, this would have leaked and given those intent on doing us harm an opportunity to sneak in before the ban. There was no perfect way to do this without inconveniencing the people affected by the ban.

Grade B

National Security Presidential Memorandum 1: Rebuilding the U.S. Armed Forces —Pentagon and Office of Management and Budget are to come up with a plan to bolster the military, examine our nuclear arsenal and missile-defense capabilities.

Grade A

National Security Presidential Memorandum 3 — Plan to Defeat ISISto be delivered in 30 days

Grade A

Executive Order: Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs — Requires agencies to rescind two regulations for every new one. Total cost of all new regulations for 2017, including those repealed, to be 0.

Grade A+

The Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court — Another campaign promise delivered. He picked this nominee from the list he presented to the voters which he compiled with the help of the Federalist Society. Indications are that Judge Gorsuch is a strict constructionist in the mold of Antonin Scalia but only time will tell.

2 thoughts on “Report Card on President Trump’s First 12 Days”

Nice summary of the first twelve days of our new Federal administration and I agree with the grading. I’m glad we are seeing this level of activity. In spite of the Dimms (using Lou Dobbs/Fox Business News Network name)childish opposition and obstructionism, progress is being made toward a better America.

I am still worried that Trump will fail to disengage from our various foreign wars and improve relations with Russia, but we shall see. Here at home he faces obstructionism from the Demoncraps, from RINO/neocons, and, of course, from arrogant and all-powerful judges.
One of the biggest threats to Trump’s reforms and even to his life are the traitors in the shadow government. Massive purges are needed to bring about true reform; reportedly, he is already purging the Secret Service (a wise choice if he values his life). The FBI and the entire Justice Department are riddled with traitors, and the State Department has long been dominated by leftists and Islamists. The Departments of Energy and Education should be eliminated, along with the EPA. NASA, the NOAA, and the BLM serve an evil agenda and need to be purged from the top down.